Transnational history of Yugoslavian interwar identity: between nationalism and internationalism

The Yugoslavian identity in the interwar years can only be described as complex. 'By
December 1918, most of the populations involved (inasmuch as they had any political
consciousness) appeared to support the creation of some sort of Yugoslavia - though how they
understood that state varied widely.'1 The question of the failure of the Yugoslav interwar
identity is not a new one. However, it has only been studied through the prism of competing
nationalisms with many historians trying to explain the most important problem in interwar
Yugoslavia - the national problem.
The failure of interwar Yugoslavia has been attributed to strong national particularism
embedded in competing national cultures. Departing from the predominant top down approach
I would like to analyse how cultural politics translated into society. Answering the questions
of how international ideas were interpreted in daily life, understood by people across different
ethnic regions of Yugoslavia, then enacted through culture, and what impact these
international ideas had on forging the Yugoslav society.
'The story about Yugoslavia is not a story about Europe's backyard, but about Europe itself'.2
Researching the salience of international ideas for the development of a modern Yugoslav
culture and identity is important. It can uncover differences in the interpretation and practice
of internationalism in an economically underdeveloped country, enhance our understanding
of popular mentality towards international ideas in a regional context contributing to the field
of international history.